Jack Liebowitz
Jack Liebowitz | |
---|---|
Proskuriv, Russian Empire (present-day Ukraine) | |
Died | December 11, 2000[1] , U.S. | (aged 100)
Nationality | American |
Other names | Jacob S. Liebowitz |
Occupation(s) | Accountant, publisher |
Jacob S. Liebowitz (
Early life
Jack Liebowitz was born Yacov Lebovitz in
Career and partnership with Harry Donenfeld
By age 24, Liebowitz had earned his accounting degree from
In 1929, Julius Liebowitz approached Harry Donenfeld, whom he had befriended through ILGWU ties, and sought work for his son.[10] Donenfeld, a rising businessperson who felt a sense of loyalty to those from the old neighborhood, took Jack on as his personal accountant. Although a chance meeting, the two men complemented each other very well—Donenfeld was a social, chance-taking high-flyer, while Liebowitz was cautious and had a logical mind that ensured Donenfeld's fiscal mistakes were small, and that his business promises were binding only in favor to himself.[10]
When Liebowitz first worked for Donenfeld, the latter's empire was little more than a publishing house for "
National/DC
In 1935, Major
In 1938, Donenfeld managed to remove Wheeler-Nicholson from the equation, pushing Detective Comics, Inc. into bankruptcy and buying its assets.[13] As part of the bankruptcy action, Liebowitz—now sole owner of Detective Comics Inc.—bought up Wheeler-Nicholson's National Allied Publications, and Donenfeld and Liebowitz assumed control over the entire, growing comic-book publisher.
Liebowitz, now in control of the fledgling company, devised the title for what was to become National/DC's most important comic book: Action Comics.[14] He asked editor Vin Sullivan to find material to fill the new title, and Sullivan, Liebowitz and Sheldon Mayer ultimately created comics history and kickstarted what historians and fans call the Golden Age of Comic Books by selecting writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster's character Superman to star in the new title.
All-American Publications
In the late 1930s,
In 1945/46, Gaines left All-American to found his own company—initially called Educational Comics, later known as EC—allowing Liebowitz to buy his interest in the company. Liebowitz promptly merged All-American with DC/National, and he and Donenfeld continued publishing the best of both companies' titles.
New media
As the years went by, Liebowitz stayed at the forefront of new technologies and entertainment media, helping oversee Superman's transition to
Company changes
Liebowitz continued to be an active member of the Warner Communications board, visiting his office daily even into his 91st year, finally relinquishing his place in 1991.[16]
1950s acquisitions
In the 1950s the comics industry suffered a massive shrink in sales, credited by many to the newly introduced Comics Code Authority, which banned publications that printed scenes of what was described as of a horrific, violent or sexual nature. This not only affected the popular horror and crime comics, but even the teen romance market. Liebowitz, who had pushed for a moral code in his own publications earlier in his career, was made vice-president of the organization under John Goldwater, and unsurprisingly was least affected by the new code, as his own comics were in line with the code before it was introduced.
In 1956 the comics market had shrunk by fifty percent compared to its early 1950 levels. When the American News Company was found guilty of restraint of trade in 1957 it was forced to divest itself of its newsstands. This caused George Delacorte of Dell Comics to a find a new distributor, and this in turn spelled the end of American News. Of those companies that had survived the early 1950s only half remained after the loss of such a large distributor. Liebowitz made three notable distribution acquisitions during this turmoil. The first was Martin Goodman's publishing company (whose staff would later form Marvel Comics), Bill Gaines's Mad magazine[18] and Hugh Hefner's Playboy.[19]
Non-publishing work and life
A founding trustee of the
In 1985, DC Comics named Liebowitz as one of the honorees in the company's 50th anniversary publication Fifty Who Made DC Great.[21]
Liebowitz died December 11, 2000, and is buried in Mount Ararat Cemetery in East Farmingdale, Suffolk County, New York.
Liebowitz's niece Carole was married for many years to Harry Donenfeld's son, Irwin, a long-time DC executive (and co-owner).[22]
Notes
- ^ Nash, Eric P. "Jack Liebowitz, Comics Publisher, Dies at 100" The New York Times December 13, 2000 Retrieved November 5, 2011
- ^ Rhoades, Shirrel (2008), A Complete History of American Comic Books, Peter Lang, p. 16.
- Social Security Number091-03-2495, last residence New York City, New York 10019.
- ^ a b c Gerard (2006), pg 11.
- ^ a b Gerard (2006), pg 13.
- ^ Gerard (2006), pg 18.
- ^ Gerard (2006), pg 49.
- ^ Gerard (2006), pg 50.
- ^ Gerard (2006), pg 61.
- ^ a b Gerard (2006), pg 62.
- ^ Gerard (2006), pg 88–89.
- ^ Gerard (2006), pg 92.
- ^ Gerard (2006), pg 125.
- ISBN 978-1-4331-0107-6, p. 16
- ^ Gerard (2006), pg 164.
- ^ a b c d e f Eric P Nash (13 December 2000). "Jack Liebowitz, Comics Publisher, Dies at 100". New York Times Obituaries. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
- ^ Gerard (2006), pg 258.
- ^ Gerard (2006), pg 279.
- ^ Gerard (2006), pg 280.
- ^ Paid Notices: Deaths — Liebowitz, Jack (Jacob) S., December 12, 2000. Accessed September 7, 2008
- ^ Marx, Barry, Cavalieri, Joey and Hill, Thomas (w), Petruccio, Steven (a), Marx, Barry (ed). "Jack Liebowitz Making Comics a Business" Fifty Who Made DC Great, p. 7 (1985). DC Comics.
- ^ Irwin Donenfeld entry Archived March 18, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999.
References
- Jones, Gerard (2006). Men of Tomorrow. London: Arrow Books. ISBN 978-0-09-948706-7.